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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Cleaning Toby's Cage

Because of our allergies, we have a lizard (we are on immunotherapy injections, so we might eventually get a dog). Toby has been an amazing addition to our household. We have had him for about a year now, and we love him (I know that sounds crazy, but Cheyenne would love a tarantula). What I can say is, there is no sneezing or itching involved. I really don't love his choice of food though (crickets).

Other than crickets, the only thing I really don't love is cleaning his cage. Yuck! You have to be really careful what types of cleaners you use with small animals. The cleaning agents can get expensive.

I use Basic H (you can buy it here). It is safe enough to use on Toby's cage and rug. Here is what I do. Scrub out his water dish. Pick up any solid waste and dead insects - yuck, I do this with gloves.

Carefully remove his carpet and spray it down with Basic H - the degreaser concentration - feel free to ask me questions about this. Let the rug sit for about 15-20 minutes.

Spray down and wipe out his cage with Basic H - the window cleaner concentration.

Rinse out his rug with hot water and let dry (we have 2 rugs that we alternate between) put the clean rug back in.

Green and Tan

Put everything back. Give him fresh water (we do this every day) and either re wet or replace his moss for his wet hide.

That is just how I do it, if you have a better way please let me know. I am by no means an expert.

Toby doesn't like the gloves or a clean cage right at first, he likes his stuff to be in the same place with the same gross smell. Icky.

We love our Toby, especially Dakota.

Note: always wash hands after handling birds and reptiles (I don't know anything about rodents) they can carry germs, like Salmanella, that can make you very sick, and always wash after cleaning up after them.

Matt and Alexis

Hello

Alexis at a glance

I was raised up like a boy. I discovered later on that this is not who I really was. Underneath who I thought I was is a woman who likes retro, classic, and feminine (I guess my Grandma was right all along). This blog is all about me discovering who I really am and what I find that I love along the way. I make new discoveries by decorating my home, making things for my kids, and spending time perusing craft stores and the internet. I also love to browse the thrift stores for anything that catches my eye.
By taking care of my family and finding better and easier ways of doing things, I identify my true self. I am always learning something new about myself. My purpose in life, besides raising my family, is to discover who I am and leave that imprint on my world.
Join me for the ride, and maybe learn something new about yourself.